Volkswagen's plug-in hybrid California campervan is on sale now

The order books have been opened for Volkswagen's first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) campervan.

The Volkswagen California eHybrid 4Motion combines a petrol engine with an electric motor and battery setup to travel for up to 54 miles on electric power only. The four-wheel-drive PHEV is the latest version of the newest California, which went on sale with petrol and diesel power at the end of 2024.

The California is based on the car-derived Volkswagen Multivan and starts at £64,147. It's a rival for the best campervans on the market, such as the Mercedes-Benz V-Class Marco Polo and Ford Transit Custom Nugget. 

New 2025 Volkswagen California: price and release date

The new Volkswagen California eHybrid 4Motion is on sale now and comes in a choice of three trims. Prices start at £71,295 for the California Beach Camper, £78,495 for the California Coast and £85,395 for the California Ocean.

Other versions of the California start at £64,147.

2024 Volkswagen California: Exterior and interior design

Like the rest of the latest Volkswagen California range, the eHybrid model shares the same sleek profile as the latest Volkswagen Multivan.

The new Volkswagen California offers fancy two-tone paint options, aping classic VW Campers, and smart chrome detailing will be set off by crisp LED headlights – which include an LED light bar in the front grille.

Alongside the 11 single-tone paint finishes, the new Volkswagen California is available in Mono Silver and Energetic Orange, Deep Black Pearl and Fontana Red, and Candy White with Solid Blue Metallic. The three-layer pop-up roof can be had in three colours – Toffee Brown, Glacier Bleu and Basalt Grey. This ensures plenty of customisation options for the new Volkswagen California.

There are also seven different alloy wheel choices with the new Volkswagen California, spread between 16-inch, 17-inch, 18-inch and 19-inch options.

The new Volkswagen California has extra-large windows, including a panoramic-stye windscreen with additional inset windows to split up the A-pillars. This will give it an airy feel inside, while the rear glass is tinted to aid privacy.

Inside, the new Volkswagen California has an ingenious, all-new take on the classic VW Camper ‘house on wheels’ concept. A headline improvement is the fact it now has dual sliding rear doors, so UK passengers can get in and out on the ‘safe’ side. Older Volkswagen California only had a rear door on the right-hand side.

The extra sliding door aids practicality too, with the new Volkswagen California now having a kitchen area that can now be used from outside the vehicle too. It is located further back than before, leaving space for an opening to get in and out. The new Volkswagen California is based on the long-wheelbase Volkswagen Multivan, which further aids rear spaciousness.

The front seats of the new Volkswagen California now rotate through 180 degrees. This means they can be swivelled to face the rear. The two rear seats are also now individual chairs, rathe than the heavy, austere bench seat of the current Volkswagen California. They can be removed much more easily. A central pull-out table is ideal for family means or impromptu business meetings. An electronic parking brake, instead of a handbrake lever, aids scrambling from front to rear.

The kitchen area of the new Volkswagen California includes a sink, sliding induction hob and pull-out refrigerator drawer. There’s an integrated gas cooker, and a compact, removable grille. There’s lots of storage too, including cupboards and sliding drawers.

The pop-up roof of the new Volkswagen California is nearly two metres tall. It’s an aluminium roof shell with triple-layered bellows and a large panorama opening at the front. There are large windows at the sides too, and built-in USB-C sockets plus LED hights. The bed has spring plates to aid comfort.

The new Volkswagen California has a clever multifunction tablet in the kitchen area to control its various functions through touchscreen tech. It includes information on fresh and waste water levels, interior lighting, power supply, refrigerator and auxiliary heater. The functions can be replicate on the ‘Cali on Tour’ smartphone app.

The new Volkswagen California's tablet screen is even smarter, too. It can be swivelled out on an articulated arm and used as a streaming and entertainment device.

New 2025 Volkswagen California: engines, specs and safety

The new Volkswagen California's plug-in hybrid system combines a 1.5-litre TSI petrol engine with an electric motor and 19.7kWh rechargeable battery. Combined, it delivers 245PS through an automatic gearbox as standard and, for the first time, comes with 4Motion all-wheel drive.

All that means an electric-only range of up to 54 miles with a fully charged battery, and a towing capacity of up to 1600kg.

The Volkswagen California is also offered with a range of regular petrol and diesel engines. Customers can choose either a 204PS 2.0-litre TSI petrol engine, and a 150PS 2.0-litre TDI turbodiesel.

New 2025 Volkswagen California: trim levels

Three versions of the Volkswagen California are available. The entry level model is the California Beach Camper, which rides on 17-inch wheels (16s on the eHybrid) and has sliding doors on both the left and the right. It has a mini kitchen, a black awning on left and curtains for the driver's compartment, with roller blinds on the sliding doors and tailgate. It can seat five and sleep four, which presumably means someone will need a tent...

Other features included in the Beach Camper are a 10-inch infotainment screen, two USB-C ports at the front and four more in the back, and a 230V inverter with a plug socket on the driver's seat. Manual air conditioning and an auxiliary heater for the passenger compartment are bundled in, as are front and rear parking sensors and adaptive cruise control.

Upgrade to the California Coast and you'll get 17-inch wheels, three-zone climate conrol and a rear-view camera, as well as an upgraded kitchen with an outdoor folding table. There's an electro-hydraulic elevating roof with three windows, thermal blinds for the driver's compartment, and outdoor shower connection and two additional camping batteries. It seats and sleeps four.

The top-of-the-range California is the Ocean, which has 18-inch wheels and clever LED matrix headlights that let you keep full beam on without dazzling oncoming traffic. There's also an illuminated strip between the headlights for a jazzier look, and some fancy ambient lighting inside, available in 30 colours. There's extra lighting for the pop-up roof, the boot lid and around teh kitchen cupboard, as well as by the sliding door. The kitchen inside is further upgraded and there's a roof storage box, while the front seats are heated for those chilly camping trips.